To state that bedbugs have reached epidemic proportions would be a bit of an understatement. Indeed, stories about the huge bedbug problem have been featured on the Sept 1, 2010 NBC Nightly News program, as well as recent articles in the New York Times, and installments on the Today show among others.

According to the New York Times Science section, “Ask any expert why the bugs disappeared for 40 years, why they came roaring back in the late 1990s, even why they do not spread disease, and you hear one answer: “Good question.”

But that is not the answer most are searching for. To those infected an answer to the question “how do you kill bedbugs?” is far more important. The greater the infestation, the more urgent and answer to this question becomes. Blog posts reveal individuals with infestations covering bites on job interviews, individuals brought to tears, and many more deprived of sleep. The New York Times recently reported of a resulting social stigma directed at people have been infested.

Equally noteworthy, is the impact these insects are having on businesses across the country. The hotel industry, cruise ships and others in the hospitality industry are on the front lines of this battle as it directly affects their bottom line.

So, how do you kill bedbugs? According to many articles, posts on blogs and even the website bedbugger.com, a multi-faceted approach, most often applied by a pest control expert works best. Among the bedbug treatments applied will be some sort of insecticide used in conjunction with the use of a dry steam vapor cleaner. One blog post offers an account of a desperate home owner purchasing a dry steam vapor cleaner, and over an eight-hour period blasting every nook and cranny with dry steam and exorcizing her home.

How does the use of dry steam vapor work in the battle of killing bedbugs? Of the known bedbug killers, heat, in this case delivered with steam vapor, kills both bedbugs and eggs. This does not mean that any steam cleaner available at a big box store or featured on an infomercial will work. While technically steam cleaners, many of these cheaper, smaller machines simply do not deliver the sustained heat necessary to kill. To be effective, cleaners must be capable of delivering a minimum of 150-170 degrees for a sustained period. In addition, to prevent water damage or discourage mold, the steam must be very dry, unlike the steam produced in smaller models.

AmeriVap Systems, a pioneer in dry steam vapor technology, in recent months has seen thousands of orders for the VaporBlitz II and Steamax portable dry steam cleaners going to pest control and hospitality companies where it will become a powerful tool against the growing bedbug dilemma.

The Steamax machine has been featured on the Bedbug Central Channel on www.youtube.com.

Werner Diercks, CEO of AmeriVap says “We commiserate with businesses and residential customers who are battling these maddening insects, but we’re pleased to be able to offer not only a weapon in their bedbug arsenal, but also a multi-use green cleaning tool.”